Portsmouth boys knock off Coe-Brown

PORTSMOUTH — With plenty of optimism, the Portsmouth High School boys tennis team began its season on the right note against Coe-Brown on Monday.

The Clippers won five of six singles matches on their way to a 7-2 Division II victory over the Bears. Portsmouth (1-0) is coming off a season in which it reached the Division II quarterfinals.

“I thought we did a very good job considering it was our first match of the season,” Portsmouth coach Seab Stanton said.“We have five seniors this year that have put in a ton of time to get better. Even though we lost at No. 1 (singles) today we were able to get points elsewhere and I really think that is going to be a strength for the season.”

Duplessis beat Alex Wimsatt, 8-1, at No. 2 singles. He then paired with Chris Rossi at No. 1 doubles, losing 8-1 against Jakob Zylak and Wimsatt. It was the first time Duplessis and Rossi have played doubles together.

“I think we have a lot of potential,” Duplessis said. “Our Nos. 2 through 6 are pretty equal, so I think that’s going to be a strong point to our season.”

Stanton was impressed with how Bergeron and Egeland played on Monday. The pair teamed up to win at No. 2 doubles, 8-2, over Kunz and Bell.

“(Bergeron) played a very nice match today,” Stanton said. “He was very aggressive and assertive in his style, taking advantage of his opportunities to attack.

“(Egeland) has worked hard on his serve, so that got him a lot of points today,” Stanton added. “Last year both of them were steady and staying in points, but not finishing them as often. Now I’m seeing that.”

The No. 3 doubles team of Joshua Epstein and Griffin Mooers picked up the final victory for Portsmouth, 9-7, over Jeremy Fenerty and Brian Gordon.

Coe-Brown (2-1) began its season last week with a pair of 8-1 victories over St. Thomas Aquinas and Hollis-Brookline. Coe-Brown coach Sam Struthers liked how his team battled against the Clippers.

“I thought we played well,” Struthers said. “Portsmouth is a good team, but we definitely need to get better to compete with them.”

Portsmouth faces a new opponent on Wednesday when its hosts Derryfield, which moved up to Division II this season. Derryfield won seven straight Class M/S championships from 2003-2009, so Stanton is looking forward to competing against the Cougars.